Here are 2 articles about this holiday. The first one tells about the differences in those that celebrate the holiday and those who don't. The 2nd one shows a more realistic picture than the one in the history books of long ago.
Columbus Day: A Working Holiday? (http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/93086?fp=1)
A darker side of Columbus emerges in US classrooms (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091011/ap_on_re_us/us_teaching_columbus)